LABOUR councillors are calling on their fellow members to step-in and make sure Basingstoke and Deane’s children’s centres remain as a vital service running throughout the borough.

As previously reported in The Gazette, Hampshire County Council made the decision to close 10 of Basingstoke’ s 11 children centres and relocate the service to a central hub in Buckskin, in a bid to save £8.5 million.

Now Labour campaigners are calling on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to take action and step-in and help run the service.

Leader of the Labour group, Cllr Paul Harvey said: “We believe that the children’s centres are an absolutely essential service for the people of Basingstoke and Deane, and we do not agree with the county council’s decision to cut it.

“The families and councillors who campaigned during the consultation are still fighting hard to make sure the children of our borough get the correct support they need.”

He added: “We are looking to our borough council to continue to help these community centres in delivering a first rate service for these families.

“The borough council has stepped-in before where the county council has failed, and we are hopeful they will do so again.”

The decision, which was passed by the county council’s executive member for children’s services, Cllr Keith Mans, on July 1, will see 43 children’s centres in Hampshire closed, with the services being restructured into 11 district hubs.

This would include centres in Chineham, Lychpit, Popley, Oakridge , Tadley, Hatch Warren, Overton, Bishops Green, Brighton Hill and South Ham being closed.

Fellow Labour councillor and Brookvale and Kings Furlong ward councillor, Cllr Michael Westbrook, said this push is all part of Labour’ s campaign for the borough to stand on its own two feet.

Cllr Westbrook added: “We know from talking to many households across many generations how important these centres have been.”